


someday these maps collide

by sandyk



Category: The OC
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-09
Updated: 2013-02-09
Packaged: 2017-11-28 17:46:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/677125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sandyk/pseuds/sandyk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Surprise. When Ryan was fifteen he didn't think farther than making it to sixteen and then eighteen and then maybe free. Even at eighteen, he hadn't made up his mind that everything would be okay. So it's a surprise now, every morning.</p>
            </blockquote>





	someday these maps collide

**Author's Note:**

> Characters, etc property of Warner Brothers, Hypnotic, and Wonderland Sound and Vision, not me. Not for profit to infinity and beyond. For the [OC Flashfic challenge](http://www.basketofcliche.org/ocff). Title from Michael Ondaatje. Immense thanks to Mare, Amber, Mosca and Younger.

\ 

  
Surprise. When Ryan was fifteen he didn't think farther than making it to sixteen and then eighteen and then maybe free. Even at eighteen, he hadn't made up his mind that everything would be okay. So it's a surprise now, every morning.

When Ryan comes home from work the living room is stacked with books, the television is on and Seth is asleep on the couch. The first six months they were living together Ryan would have been quiet when he came in, putting down his briefcase slowly, handling the dishes like they were eggs. 

Now he drops his briefcase by the counter in the kitchen and while he doesn't bang the dishes together, he doesn't make any effort to be quiet. Seth still hasn't woken up so Ryan walks over and takes the remote from the floor where Seth dropped it. 

The TV's on BBCAmerica which Seth has been watching obsessively this whole semester because he's taking one of his graduate classes in contemporary British literature. He thinks BBCAmerica will help him get the vernacular. Ryan, on the other hand, can't stand any of the shows and watches the news when he gets home.

Seth doesn't wake up for another ten minutes, when Ryan has to run the garbage disposal after loading the dishwasher. Seth just grunts. Then he says, "Oh, hey, you're home."

"Since 7." Ryan doesn't turn around and keeps making dinner. 

"Hmmmmm, CNN. Hey, at 7:30, local news with the cute anchor is on at 7:30, man, wanna watch that?"

"Sure." 

Seth has gotten up from the couch and is now perched on the counter. He says, "Need any help?" and then, after Ryan shakes his head, "Do you know what's on now on 12? Becker. Do you know anyone who's ever even watched Becker?"

"What's Becker?" Ryan looks over his shoulder and almost smiles. 

"My point exactly. No one watches it, you only see these ads for it and it was on forever. It starred Ted Danson. He played a character named Becker. Nothing more is known." Seth rubs his eyes and then puts his hand on Ryan's arm. "How was your day?"

Ryan shrugs. He says, "Are you going to put all those books away?"

"I was studying," Seth says but he jumps off the counter and starts picking them up. Ryan doesn't say anything. They got a three-bedroom condo so they'd have a bedroom and a study for both of them. But Seth's books from class leak out to the living room and the bedroom. Ryan likes things orderly.

Seth finishes cleaning up and changes the station to the news. He says, "Okay, tomorrow night. I have organized a list." He grins. "For date night?" Date night was one of those ideas Seth brought up and Ryan couldn't tell if he was joking or not. But he agreed and then every week Seth would say, "date night?" like he was almost kidding but maybe not. Seth would grin when he talked about his ideas and Ryan would nod because he liked that smile. Now it's theirs. He still never proposes anything and lets Seth do all the planning. 

So, "A list?"

"Yes. Choice one, bowling, mini-golf, one of those things. Not both or really, more than one." Ryan shrugs again and looks at the show. Seth says, "Choice two, there's a new bar. It's hot, totally hot. It's like a hotel bar with the karaoke and the bad décor except it's not in a hotel." Seth grins. Seth likes bars more than Ryan does and twice a year Seth's dragged Ryan to gay bars which left Ryan feeling nothing but awkward. 

It's easier for Seth. He told Ryan he was bisexual when he was a sophomore in college, his parents when he was a junior and after that it was a boyfriend, a girlfriend, a boyfriend, a girlfriend per semester until he graduated. Ryan's had sex with three guys in his life and Seth's the only one he slept with more than once. 

Ryan says, "It's not in a hotel."

"But it's exactly like a bar in a hotel. That's the thing that makes it cool. If you wanted to do that. They definitely have a pool table, at least." Seth shrugs. "Okay, choice three, turns out, Ryan Adams? Tomorrow night? Someone at Dad's firm can get us tickets." Seth smiles. "And, if you wanted, there's a movie theater in Irvine that's doing pirate movies. Two long ones right in a row."

Ryan grins. "Well, I like the last one best. But, Ryan Adams. You have all, what, twenty of his albums?"

"Yeah, but the opening act sucks. Plus, I know how you like those movies." Seth rests his head on Ryan's shoulder. "It'll be fun. Though there's still the hotel bar. Which has karaoke." 

"Movies it is." Ryan gets up to get dinner out of the oven. "Why don't we do this on Friday?"

"Because Friday is dinner with the parents. They get sad when they don't see us." Seth looks up from setting the table. "Do you wanna change it? Cause we don't have to. I mean, right, last year we were both crazy busy and now we're not as much --"

"I don't want to change it. And we're still going to see the pirates tomorrow night. I was just, why did we pick Thursday?" 

Seth shrugs. "There's TV we like on all the other nights. Or, there was last season." Seth sits down and grins. "We're so domesticated."

"I think you mean domestic." 

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. You'll never know." 

  
"The movies were good. They were very good." Seth starts to say something, probably something about trailers versus lousy opening acts but Ryan kisses him. He looks at Seth and he feels trust, surprise, affection, faith, lust, irritation, wonder and joy. He reads comics and wonders if the writers really think in such complete sentences and one-word emotions. He never does. 

They're still kissing in between Seth laughing when they reach the car but before Ryan can get his keys out, he hears someone saying, "Ryan?"

Seth moves away. He's the one who had a rainbow button on his bag and talks about community, and he's always the first one to drop his hand or step away when they're out. When Ryan first kissed Seth he meant it for everywhere. 

Wendy from the office is standing there, her hand almost in a wave. Ryan says, "Hey."

"I thought I saw you in the theater." She nods her head, nervous. She just started at the architecture firm where Ryan's interning. 

Ryan tilts his head toward Seth and says, "There we were."

Wendy smiles. "Cool, that's cool. I tried to talk my roommate into coming, but she's not into period pieces." She takes a sip of her coke. Ryan does that, too, holds onto his drinks and popcorn to take home. She says, "Okay, are you going to the Newport Group holiday party? Like, I know we have to go, not have to, but it's a very good idea but I just started and I, just, how formal is it?"

Ryan shrugs. "I wear a nice suit."

"A very nice suit," Seth says. "They made me wear a tie when I was seven, man."

Wendy blinks. "Seven?"

"Child labor, it's the big secret of Caleb Nichol's fortune." Seth winks. Ryan glances at him and Seth says, "Okay, no. My mother and grandfather kinda own the company. I mean, the Newport Group. So they make me go."

"Oh," Wendy says. "So Caleb Nichol is your grandfather?"

Seth nods. "And he's pretty much just as scary to his relatives." 

"I've never met him, I just started." Wendy smiles again. "Now I'm more scared about the party."

Seth says, "A step below prom formal or a fancy wedding, a step above dressing for the office."

"Ah," she says, grinning. "Now that I can do. Thank you. Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Ryan." She waves and walks away. 

As Seth gets into the car, he says, "Man, she is new. Doesn't everyone in the office know you're fucking the boss's son?"

They argued about it back when Ryan was deciding where to intern. Seth thought Ryan shouldn't work for a firm that his family owned. "You're the one who kept saying that you loved college because no one knew who you were and you had a clean slate and you weren't that kid from Chino or the Cohens' little ward and now you'd go back to all of that?" 

Ryan said, "And then one day I figured out the difference between charity and what family gives you. That's what family does, right? Help each other out." Then Seth said something about how that was incredibly sweet but also very creepy since they were both naked and in bed with each other. Ryan said he'd never exactly thought of Seth as family. 

  
Ryan's getting a ride with Kirsten back to the house for dinner so he walks over to her office when he's done. Just to make the week seem even longer, Caleb is in her office. Caleb's never warmed up to Ryan. Since he and Seth moved in together, Caleb doesn't even acknowledge that Ryan's there. 

Kirsten says, "Dad, I'm going now. We have dinner plans."

"With Seth. And him," which comes with a wave towards Ryan. "They can wait, Kiki."

Kirsten rolls her eyes and says, "No. No waiting. I'm going."

"Is my grandson ever going to have a job?" Caleb is asking Kirsten but he's looking at Ryan. "He's getting a Master's in what, English? Still?"

"His grades are excellent, Dad." Kirsten is shoving papers in her bag. 

"That'll get him far. What is he going to do after he gets that degree?"

Ryan says, "Look for a job for a year and then decide he wants his Ph.D. because he isn't ready to give up summer vacation." He smiles at Kirsten and she sighs. But she's almost smiling. 

Caleb snorts. "Fine, go, I'll call you later." 

In the car, Kirsten says, "Do you really think Seth's going to end up getting his Ph.D.?"

"Don't you? He doesn't have a plan."

"He's getting his Master's." Kirsten is almost laughing. "I think he's planning something. I hope he is."

"I bet he's got a great plan." Then they're both laughing. 

Kirsten is quiet for a few minutes and then she says, "But it's not," and then her voice trails off. Then, "Okay, Seth can be immature about some things --"

"But not about others." Ryan glances over at Kirsten. 

"Right. Just, I know things were weird when you two first moved in together, weird for me and Sandy, I mean, but now. It's not weird and I get it now." Weird is a nice word. Ryan prefers awkward. Sandy didn't like even talking about it. They were never rude. And it eventually got better.

She stops and shakes her head slightly. "I'm being silly."

Ryan looks out the window. "If he decided tomorrow to get fifteen degrees, I'd still, well, I'd still be telling him to keep his books out of the living room." 

"Good. I just, I worry," Kirsten says. "I worry about both of you, it's almost cruel." 

When they get to the house, Seth and Sandy are playing a video game "that is actually about pirates, dude. Pirates! Except Dad keeps sinking the ship." 

  
It's not Ryan Adams but Sandy's friend at the firm gets them tickets to another show the next Thursday. Seth's class on Friday mornings is done for the semester and he thinks Ryan should call in sick if they're out late. "You work too much," he says. 

Ryan's tempted but he'll decide later. Probably not. He has responsibilities and he actually enjoys them.

Seth's walked away to get a refill of his drink when Ryan glances around and then looks again. He can't believe it even as he walks over and says, "Marissa?" Standing there with her drink when she basically disappeared, stopped talking to everyone three years ago. Christmas cards to her parents and nothing to anyone else.

She turns towards him and he says it again, "Marissa?"

She smiles and even squeals a little as she hugs him tight. "Oh my god, I can't believe it!" 

He pats her back and says, "Me neither." 

She takes a step back and does her guilty little face and shoulder hunch. She's still beautiful. She says, "I know. I know, I've been an ass. I just, I was stupid and I wanted a clean slate. I wanted to be something else and start over. You know?" She waits for his nod but he just stares. "And then it was a year and it seemed so hard to go back. So. I'm sorry. Really. I kept thinking about it and then I thought everyone probably already hated me."

"Well, it's still good to see you. What are you doing, uh, here?" 

"I'm with the band." She looks down and smiles. "Really. I'm dating the guitarist. I was working in PR, in New York? And they were our clients and then I started dating Linton. And then there was this tour and I just, I wanted a vacation. I've been working so long. Sometimes you just need a break, get out and just have fun. I never really do that. And I thought it would get me moving. Seeing people." She keeps smiling. 

"Sounds like a plan." He's finished his drink while she was talking and didn't even notice. "You should call Summer, she still talks about you."

"You see Summer?" Marissa crosses her arms like she's seventeen again and scared. 

"Yeah, sometimes. She's working in Burbank. Financial planner. Which she's actually great at. She has her hands on all of Seth's money." 

"I bet she loves that."

Ryan nods. "Pretty much." 

Marissa clutches her drink and says, "I should call her. I was so nervous about tonight, thinking maybe I'd run into someone. But I was hoping for it, too. Really. But I should just do it. Call her."

"It would be a good idea. She misses you." 

"Yes." Another look down and then, "What about you? Where are you working?"

"For Caleb and Kirsten. A firm they bought. I graduated and then I got my internship with them. And then next year I take the A.R.E. and if I pass, I'm licensed and everything."

"Wow. That, that takes forever doesn't it?"

"42 hour exam." Ryan smiles. 

"I mean, didn't you, wasn't it five years for you to graduate? And now, what, three years of interning, a 42 hour exam? That's a lot to be an architect. That's, that's really amazing."

"Just what it takes." 

"Still. Are you, are you seeing anyone?"

He just stares at her. Her parents both must send her cards, something. She can't not know. He blinks and says, "Yes. Seth. I've been living with Seth for two and half years now." 

She sputters. "Seth? Seth Cohen?" 

"Yes." For a moment, she looks shocked and then back to confused and maybe angry. This, he thinks, is going to go well.

"Okay, I know Seth, Summer told me he decided he was bi when he was a junior, but." Ryan thinks about the way she said 'decided.' Like Seth woke up one morning and weighed the pros and cons. She says, "But I didn't even think you liked guys." She frowns. "You're not kidding."

"He'll be right over in a minute or two, Marissa, we can prove it then."

"I just." She takes a deep breath. "Okay, I'm sorry again. You're clearly pissed."

"Yeah?" He wishes he hadn't finished his drink already. 

She says, "Okay. I'm just, I'm surprised. Let's rewind. Just, do-over. I just had no idea. I really didn't." Ryan shrugs and puts his glass down on an empty table. She says, "So, you and Seth. That's great." She's definitely making an effort to sound happy.

He smiles tightly. She says, "So, um, what do Sandy and Kirsten think? And Caleb, god, wow."

"Sandy and Kirsten. Were a little weird with it, at first. But now they're fine. And Caleb? He was, he was a little rude. But at the Christmas party last week he was introducing me as his grandson-in-law." It's still odd to Ryan.

"Wow. That's awesome. That's really wonderful." She nods again and sips her drink. He wonders if it's alcohol. But it's not his problem anymore. She says, "You and Seth. Huh. But I think." She pauses to drink again. "He's always been so good to you, that's really good. That you have someone like that." She smiles, with less visible effort this time. 

He relaxes this time. He realizes he was clenching his jaw only when he feels the ache as he stops. "Well, thanks."

"I'm sorry," she says. She still says that a lot. She always means it, so he can't hate her. 

"Still, now that I am adjusted, I am happy for you. Two and half years, that's great."

Seth walks up just then, saying, "Oh my god, Marissa Cooper." He hugs her and then steps back next to Ryan. For the first time in two and a half years in a public place, Seth takes Ryan's hand first and doesn't let go. Ryan almost laughs.

Marissa says, "Seth Cohen! It's really good to see you."

Ryan looks at Seth and says, "Did you get me a drink?"

"No. Because you had one when I left."

"I was nearly finished," he says. Marissa grins and looks prettier when she does. Ryan adds, "I was hoping you would."

"Well, I didn't. Because your glass was not nearly finished. It was half-full or half-empty but definitely half. And since you said you were only having two drinks tonight, I didn't think you'd be chugging it."

Ryan rolls his eyes and says, "Fine, I'll get my own."

As he walks away he hears Marissa, happy voice, saying, "So I hear we have one more thing in common now" and Seth laughing. Then the crowd noise takes over. 

After the show, Marissa tries to convince them to come backstage, "You should meet Linton," while Seth says, "No one is named Linton outside of Faulkner novels, no one, and I think, not even in Faulkner novels." 

Ryan says he has work the next day. Marissa nods and then says, "I promise to actually call. No more running away." 

Seth takes her cell phone and programs Summer's number in it saying, "If you don't call her, she'll kill me. And I hate that." 

Marissa says she'll do it right now and as Seth and Ryan leave, they can hear her saying, "Yes, it's really me, yes, I really suck for not calling you. I missed you!" 

On the drive home, Seth says, "So, wow, Marissa. Wow."

"It was good to see her."

"Yeah. Summer was seriously, like, three weeks ago, talking about hiring private detectives or seducing Jimmy Cooper to get her address. I'm glad she didn't." Seth pauses. "I don't think any of my ex-girlfriends should ever sleep with Jimmy Cooper. Or ex-boyfriends, if he swung that way."

"Current boyfriends?" Ryan grins.

"You aren't ever allowed to sleep with anyone but me, mister. That's how this works."

"Just checking."

"I don't even, you know, like some people have a list about celebrities that are okay, like, if the other person ever meets them. But I think, you know, we live near enough LA, that might actually happen. I don't hold with that, no you running off to have your one night with, what, okay, who would be on your list?" Seth is drunk. 

"My list? Of celebrities."

Seth rocks his head from side to side and then blinks a few times. "Okay, dizzy. Drunk. No, wait, I can do yours. Well, part of it. If it were ten, it would be two guys and eight women."

Ryan wonders where this is going. "Probably. Is that, you know that."

Seth shrugs. "I do know that. Okay, see mine, well. Not that it applies, because it's very much not kosher for either of us to sleep with other people, like, ever. But see mine would be, okay, obvious ones, the hot sensitive rock stars, and still, yeah, Michael Stipe. He's totally old, but man, he'd be so cool. And I think I would have, like, two more guys."

"That so wasn't an answer."

Seth stretches his hands up to the roof of the car. "It's not an answer because, because that's the answer. I mean, whatever, you're you and I know you want me and that's pretty much all I care about. And you not ever sleeping with anyone else." 

"I'm clear on that." Ryan says, "Man, it's 2 am, why is there traffic?"

"Because it's LA." Seth sighs. "So, Marissa. Wow. Groupie to the least talented member of a pretty mediocre band."

"Before the show you said they were awesome."

"Well, yes. But sometimes I'm really petty." Seth pauses. "I think I get to be petty about Marissa. A little."

"And you were." Ryan laughs. "It was nice to see her."

"Yeah." Seth looks out the window. "Come on, call in sick to work tomorrow, man, we won't be home until fucking 3. And we didn't even go backstage to meet Linton. Don't you think if your first name was Linton, you'd be gay?"

He calls in sick when they get back to the condo at 3:15 am. He's never done that before for just a late night out. 

He makes Seth breakfast in bed and then they watch cartoons in bed until noon. 

He may not have slept with as many men as Seth or wanted as many men as Seth, but he has what he wants. It feels like it all happened in one day, kissing Seth, moving in, knowing Seth was the one he wanted, though he knows it took six weeks but it just was. Like that and they were together and it was right. 

Two hours later Seth rolls onto his back and says, "Man. We need to run into more of your ex-girlfriends more often. Seriously."

Ryan snorts and cracks his neck. "It's not that. Day off. Mostly. You're good in bed. Just like Summer told me."

"She told you? When?" Seth laughs. 

"After you told her we were going out. She showed up at work and took me out of lunch. She said the only reason you were good in bed was because of her, by the way."

Seth grins. "Okay, that might be true." He pulls up the covers. "I bet Summer's smacked the shit out of Marissa now."

"Probably. I don't like to piss her off."

"She has my money." Two deep breaths from Seth. "So Marissa'll be calling sometime today about all of us having dinner and we'll be forced to meet Linton the gay guitarist and be polite and stuff. Should we go?"

"If she calls, we should. Right?" 

"Works for me. I'm the one you just spent two hours fucking." Seth yawns. "Not to be petty. Cause I got all of that out of my system last night. I do like Marissa. I always did. It was kind of annoying, you know, liking her. But she's good people. She just gets a little lost." 

"Last night, huh? So Linton the gay guitarist isn't petty?"

Seth turns on his side and closes his eyes. "It's not petty, it's a statement of fact. I'm sleeping. Wake me up when Marissa calls. Maybe she wants to go to that hotel bar."

"I'll ask if she calls." Ryan turns on his side so they're facing each other when they fall asleep. 

  
Marissa nixes the hotel bar and says they should go to a place in LA. Summer can't come because she has plans with her latest boyfriend. Ryan thinks Summer is still pissed. "Just the four of us, man, I can't wait," Seth says in the car. 

"You didn't have to come." 

"Yes, yes, I did. We grew up together." 

"You never even talked until I moved in." Ryan finds the restaurant easily and parking much less so. 

Linton looks like he did last night, he should be on the cover of Rolling Stone. Unlike last night now he has Marissa attached at the arm and shoulder. Ryan remembers that feeling. He was surprised by how much he liked it. Seth isn't prone to that at all. 

From the time they sit down to the arrival of their salads, Linton and Marissa do most of the talking. Marissa talks about her old job and Linton talks about meeting Marissa and sleeping with Marissa. Marissa cuts short the section about sleeping with her and Ryan is very thankful. Ryan thinks about Luke being an asshole when they first met and some of his own embarrassing moments from high school. Marissa is the kind of girl whose boyfriends act petty and worse when feeling threatened. 

But this time Marissa shoots Linton a very pissed off look and he looks a little embarrassed, too. It could be a club. 

Linton eats the parts of his salad doused in dressing and nothing else, and then says, "So you used to date Marissa?" Ryan nods. "And now --" A head tilt to indicate Seth.

Seth says, "Yeah, he likes 'em rich and lanky." Marissa and Ryan laugh. 

Marissa says, "I wasn't rich when Ryan and I were going out."

"But you were when all that first started." Seth grins. "And then again in the middle, the second time. So I think it works."

Ryan says, "I don't think I have a type."

"But you do have a nine-digit zip code preference." Seth pats Ryan's hand.

"In two cases. I have actually dated other people than the two of you."

Marissa narrows her eyes and smiles. "But were you in love?"

Seth imitates her expression and says, "Yeah, Ryan, were you?"

He glares at both of them. It's not like they don't know. Linton looks like he's smelled something bad. 

Marissa laughs and asks about Seth's studies. Which brings on a welcome fifteen-minute ramble from Seth about literature. Ryan enjoys the five-minute tangent on Arundhati Roy and Michael Ondaatje because he swears he can see Linton fall asleep with his eyes open. If Seth can be petty, Ryan can, too. 

Marissa says, "What do you with a Master's in English? Are you going to be a writer?" She looks skeptical. Ryan decides that Marissa can be petty, too. He enjoys that a little.

Seth shrugs. "I haven't decided yet." 

"But, like, there's things you can do with that." Linton is leaning forward as he says it. A career planner. 

"Or he can just keep getting degrees until he's forty and that would be okay, too."

Seth smiles. "I don't think it would take me until I was forty to get my Ph.D. Maybe if I got two. No, maybe if I got three. But man, that would be a lot of reading." 

Marissa says, "And you're rich. Still. Summer keeps your money growing." She smiles at Linton. She used to smile at Ryan like that, when she wanted him to shut up. 

Linton says, "I just wondered." He sits back and looks at Marissa and then Ryan and Seth and Ryan knows that look, too. That "weird" look, like Marissa had last night. He could give a fuck. Seth notices as well and his shoulders hunch a little. 

Next, Linton starts asking about fashion. Men's fashion. For his next video. Ryan still lets Kirsten take him shopping when he needs new suits though he pays for them himself now. Seth still calls it back to school shopping and goes in the fall and spring. Neither have much to say about things rock bands should wear in videos. Though Seth feels strongly that the re-emergence of the mullet is a horrible thing. Ryan wonders if Seth's forgotten that the lead singer of Linton's band has one. It's hard to tell. 

Linton looks annoyed. Ryan says, "We don't know anything about decorating either, if that's next."

Marissa does her almost eye roll of anger. "I'm sure it wasn't."

"I don't like wicker." Seth frowns. "Wicker is a really bad idea for anyone." 

"No one likes wicker," Linton says.

"Pier One shoppers," Seth says. "There's always a lot of wicker there, have you noticed?"

"Do you do a lot of shopping at Pier One, Seth?" Marissa says, and now she's back to laughing.

He shrugs. "There's one at this place near campus. I window shop sometimes as I walk by to the comic store."

Dinner lurches along. Marissa tries more than Linton which is nice. Ryan's favorite part is Seth and Linton fighting over the check. Linton wins. They hug Marissa goodbye and Ryan grimaces at Linton and then, thankfully, everything is over. 

"Another three years before we have to do this again, right?" Seth sits in the car and mimes vomiting.

"The food was good."

"If only we could have been spared Linton." 

Ryan drives. He gets that Marissa was surprised, that Linton wasn't expecting to meet his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend and his boyfriend. He says, "It's boring."

"Linton? Me?" Seth sounds concerned.

"Not you. You're only boring when you try to convince me to reread Faulkner."

"I think you should give him another chance." Seth taps Ryan's shoulder. "What's boring?"

"Linton, Marissa, all of this, you have a boyfriend? I've been out since we started going out and you before that and it just never ends, does it?"

Seth sighs. "Coming out is a lengthy process. Some people say it never really ends."

"They've had dinner with Linton?"

Seth laughs. "Whatever." 

"You said it." 

When they get home Seth immediately turns on the TV and starts flipping through the channels. "How do you feel about, uh, any of this?" Seth waves at the screen and endless bars of yellow and blue. 

"I don't care. Surprise me."

Seth switches off the TV and turns on the stereo. Music starts playing that Ryan doesn't recognize. Seth pushes Ryan so he's lying down on the couch and Seth is on top of him. He says, "Let's make out."

"You're so romantic." Ryan starts to pull up Seth's shirt. 

They're both half-naked when Seth looks up at the ceiling and says, "What would I get a third Ph.D. in?"

Ryan says, "Pay attention," and pulls Seth into a kiss. Then he stops and says, "What would you get your second Ph.D. in?"

Seth grins and says, "Well, I've been thinking about it and see, here's a possible plan --" It's always a surprise. How good everything is. 

THE END.  
  
---


End file.
